Kendall
Grove had a handful of knockout and technical knockout wins
over the course of his lengthy professional career before signing
with Bellator MMA, but something about his last two victories just
feels different.

The lanky Hawaiian has always been known for his submission
prowess, but lately, his power seems to be more evident than ever
before. First, there was the looping right
hook that put Joey
Beltran on all fours, setting up a few -- likely unnecessary --
finishing follow-up punches in their encounter at Bellator 143 last
year. More recently, “Da Spyder” bludgeoned Francisco
France with an overhand right
against the fence for a second-round KO at Bellator 150 on Feb.
28.

Although he is a well-traveled 33 years old, Grove is proof that
there is always room for improvement in MMA.

“For me just having the right people around me, it finally
clicked,” Grove told Sherdog.com. “It took 40-plus fights but I
finally got it -- using my advantages in this game to be dominant.
Using my reach, using my footwork. I credit that to my standup
coaches.

“Jason Parillo helped me out a lot. He’s a world renowned boxing
coach, trains multiple champions in boxing and the UFC. I’m happy
to call that guy a friend, a mentor -- a guy I can call who will
give it to me like it is. Before every fight he’ll text me: ‘Don’t
be a c--t. That helps me get in my head: OK don’t be a stupid c--t
in there. Don’t go in there and fight that guy’s fight. I have all
the tools and attributes. I’m 6-6; f—-ing use it. I finally found
my power.”

Parillo has also tutored current middleweight champion Michael
Bisping, and “The Count” has enjoyed a late-career resurgence
under his guidance. While it might be premature to forecast similar
results for Bisping’s “Ultimate Fighter 3” castmate, Grove admits
that he has enjoyed putting his recently discovered tools to use.
He hopes that he can do something similar when he squares off
against creative Russian striker Alexander
Shlemenko in the
Bellator 162 headliner on Friday night in Memphis, Tenn.

“It’s addicting. Putting someone’s lights out, it’s a great
feeling,” he said. “Submission, too, any finish is a great feeling.
My last couple have been with my hands....To go out there and try
to do with a seasoned striker like Shlemenko, I’m sure he’s
addicted to that feeling. He’s put out lots of guys. It’s gonna be
an interesting matchup. I can’t wait to test myself.

“I’m going to go down in history as the best fighter to come out of
Maui. That means something to me. At 33 I’m still doing it. I’ve
got other goals now that I’m a father of six, a husband, but that
fire is still in there. I’m just trying to leave a legacy that my
kids can be proud of and I can retire one day and be happy with
what I’ve done in my career.”

While Grove came up short against Brandon
Halsey in his first Bellator title opportunity, a win over
Shlemenko, another former champion, could put him right back into
contention. However, when it comes to talks of legacy, a belt
doesn’t seem to be a necessity.

“Honestly, I don’t really care. I’m not looking past Shlemenko. I
don’t want to start believing that I’m gonna get a title shot and
then start losing focus on the task at hand,” he said. “That’d be
cool, but other than that I’m not really too worried about it. If I
do get it, right on. If I don’t, f--k it. Keep it moving. There are
other tough fighters for Bellator that I wouldn’t mind fighting.
Titles don’t define me.”

Shlemenko will be making his first Bellator appearance since
knocking out Melvin
Manhoef in February 2015. The Russian was initially suspended
for three years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid
oxandrolone and having an elevated testosterone-to-epistestosterone
ratio of 50 to 1 following the bout. The victory was overturned,
but Shlemenko’s suspension was ultimately reduced to one year in
California Superior Court.

Grove doesn’t necessarily believe that the former champ is clean,
but he knows that doesn’t matter at this point.

“[He’s] obviously not. When he got popped it was 50-1....I was
stoked for the guy, he found a loophole and he came back. Now he’s
fighting. Hopefully he learned his lesson and he’s fighting on an
even playing field. My theory is he got overwhelmed by Tito Ortiz and
Brandon
Halsey, who are stronger wrestlers. He felt he needed an edge
so he started shooting up. 50-to-1 bro, that’s like you shot
up right before you went out. He paid for it. Fortunately he found
that loophole. No turning back now. I’m fighting him [Friday].